Press coverage of the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Subcommittee hearing on the Gulf of Mexico disaster has been mixed. Predictably, much of the British press have portrayed it as a "public flogging" - rather than a balanced inquiry. Frequent references were made to the fact that all members of the House will be facing elections in November. But are those cynical comments justified? How aggressive should hearings be?
There are important questions to be considered about the purposes and value of high profile hearings - I hope people will look behind the headlines and consider the importance of scrutiny withion legislatures.
The video of the hearing is available here
